Quick-acting gear actuated pivoted valve



p 1952 E. w. FLOSDORF ET AL 2,612,338

QUICK-ACTING GEAR ACTUATED PIVOTED VALVE Filed June 27, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jim. 2.

INVENTOR6 40 40 5024 W. Hosea/PF.

' LEW s /7. H041.

BY daldn d fmmd MCI-(1M ATTORNEY Sept. 30, 1952 E. w. FLOSDORF ET AL 2,612,338

QUICK-ACTING GEAR ACTUATED PIVOTED VALVE Filed June 27, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIIIIIIII 1NVENTOR6 024 7?. P4050025 ZEW/J H. H044.

BY 61% M06 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 30, 1952 :oiJIoK AoTIN-G GEAR ACTUATED PIVOTED:

' VALVE g Earl W. Flosdorf; Forest Grove, and Lewis W. Hull, finntiri g'don Valley, Pa., assignors to-F. J. Stokes Machine Company; Philadelphia;- Pa.,

a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 27, 1950, serial No. 170,338.

This invention relates to valves. More particularly this invention pertainsto a disc type high vacuum valve that is safe and easy to operate between a full open position anda full closed position. g

The valve of the present invention is designed to provide rapid opening and closing combined with high vacuum tightness. When closed the valve is fluid tight and the vacuum may exist on either side of the valve. g

The operating means of the present invention includes a Worm gear drive which enables the operator to safely open the valve while under high vacuum since'the worm and worm gear arrangement prevents any rapidmovement of the valve disc from being transmitted to the operating hand wheel. The operator is, therefore, protected from serious injury and isable' to use both hands, if necessary, for the initial opening rotation and final closin rotation of the operating hand Wheel.

The present invention involves a worm gear operatingmeans which winds up or cocks' a resilient connecting means located between a worm gear shaft and a valve disc during initial opening rotation of the shaft. Since the initial unseating of the valve disc from the valve seat requires a great force, pusher means having a high mechanical, advantage areincluded for operation at this stage. Thepusher means cause the valve disc to be moved away from the valveseat during substantial maintenance of parallelism between disc and seat. The valve disc'isimoved, therefore, from a full closed position to apartially open position by the pusher means.- 1mmediately upon being freed from the valve seat by movement to the partially open position the valve plate is rotated toan o-pen. position-by the cooked resilient connecting-'means. If a high vacuum is present, this rotational; movement may be tremendously accelerated. Prior art devices have proved extremely dangerous when acted on by high vacuum at this point-of valve operation,

because the violent movement is transmitted to the hand operating mechanism, thereby exposing the operator tograve bodily harm. The-present 2 Claims. (Cl. 251-16) tion. This invention, therefore, includes a pusher means which, in combination with the worm gear invention obviates this dangerous disadvantage form and application of otr'mveneea;

operating means, provides a tremendous final seating force anda tremendous initial unseati-n-g force with little effort on the part of the operator. I I

The various objects and features of our invention willbe fully understood from the follow illg downed description or atypical preferred out which description reference do to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 I I Fig. l is atop View of the valve'v'vith ape tion of the cover plate and valve body broken away showing the valve in full closed position; Fig. 2 is a side view partly broken-away taken on line 2-2 in Fig. l and shew-mgthe valve in full closed-position} I a Fig; 3 is a view similai "tO Fig. z-sh'owmgthe valve in a slightly rotated position from apartially open position;

Fig; 4 is a View similar to Fi-g". 2 valveinafu-ll'open position; I 1

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary-end view taken on line 5-'5i n Fi'g .1';

Fig. 6 isa fragmentary end fi -sin-Fig, l; and l Fig. 7 is a view of the'spii-ng' which v comprises showing the viewtake n on line the resilient connecting means of'the instant invention.

As seen in the. merit of this'invention comprisesa valve body Mhavi ng flanges IS' and'. I 6 which are: adapted tobe conneetedto' a high vacuum ims the normal manner. On'the inner face o-f-flange N5 is an annular valve seat- 11' which" is engaged by the valve plate l 8"0f the valve-plate assembly 1- 9-; The valve'plate'or disc' [8 "is preferably provided with an annulargroove 2cm which is disposed anO ring 2|. Included in the valve plate assembly l9 are fourbearing-posts'22 which extend from the valve plate [8 to t lieunseati-ngpressure member 23". As seen i-n' Fig. 5 the bearing posts22" include threaded rods 2 and tubes 2s disposed thereon, the tubes serving'the dual tion'of spacing theu nseating pressure nab'e-r- 2-3 from the valve plate 1's-ana-provid ing-two pairs of oppositelydisposed bearing'surfaces ior nitve mento-f the" valve plate assembly 1-9 with respect toJthe shaft 26.v Tightening nuts 21 o'n -rods'i l provide means for cIampingthe tubes w tnessiti'on between member 23' and-valve pl shaft 26 is rotatably mounted 281below the horizontal center through- I drawingsthe preferredembodie 1110 they 3 worm gear'29 being operatively engaged by the worm 30 which is powered by the hand wheel 3| as seen in Fig. 6. As seen in Fig. 1 only the bearing 28 requires a fluid sealing means; this sealing means consisting of a body bearing member 45, a lubricatingand sealing ring 43, and

a sealing-cover 411 Anindicator arrow 32 connected to the shaft 26 coacts with the indicia means 33 to designate the open and closed posi- I tions of the valve.

plate I8 is parallel to the valve seat I1 and the The cams 34 which act as'pusher means are which is a smooth surface portion on ,thevalve.

plate I8. Upon initial opening rotation of shaft keyed to the shaft 26 for rotation therewith. Upon final closing rotation of shaft 25, the earns 26, the cams 34 wipe across the unseatingpressure member 23. As will be explained hereinafter,

the shape of the cams 34 is such as to cause movement of the valve plate assembly IS in a horizontal and translational manner toward and awayfrom the Valve seat I].

A spring 31 which serves as a resilent connection between the shaft and the valve plate assembly I9, is coiled around the shaft 23 in opposite directions from the ends thereof to form a loop 38 in the middle portion which is secured to the shaft 26 by the bolt 39. The legs All of theoperating spring 31 are fixedly connected iter-portion of the valve plate I8 by a A stop finger 42 is connected tofthe valve plate assembly I9 for abutment with the assembly stop 43 upon full. opening movement of the valve plate assembly. I

a A cover plate 44 is removably secured to the valve body I4 to allow easy access to the inside of the valve for maintenance and repairs.

In the operation of thevalve from a full closed position to a full open-position, the shaft 26 is rotated counterclockwise by the hand wheel 3| I away from the valve seat II in a translatory manner until free from adhesion thereto. The cams 34, therefore, push the assembly I9 from a full closed position to a partially open position. During the above explained initial opening rotation of the shaft-26, wherein the Valve plate I8 is unseated, the spring 31 is wound up or cooked to a valve opening state. As soon as the valve plate assembly I3 has been slid to the partially open position the cocked spring 31 causes the assembly I9 to rotate to the full open position shown in Fig. 4. As seen in Fig. 3, the cams 34 slide the assembly 19 a suflicient distance to allow the unobstructed'rotation of the assembly I9 by the spring 37. The stop finger 42 limits the counterclockwise rotation of the assembly l9 by abutting against the assembly stop 43. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, the cams 34 must be rotated from their position in Fig. 3 to their position in Fig. 4 to insure full opening of the valve, this being evident by inspection of the indicating arrow 32. In the full open position shown in Fig. 4 the valve plate I8 is disposed horizontally and is substantially centrally located in the line of fluid flow.

In the operation of the valve from the full open position to the full closed position, the. shaft 26 cams 34 are in contact with the seating pressure inembe'r'36 which-is'a raised smooth portion of they valve plate I8. Final closing-rotation of the shaft 26 causes the cams 34 to wipe across the member-36 and slide the assembly I 9 transversly across shaft 26 into a full closed position.

The worm geardrive and the shape of the cams 34 enable the operator of the valve to applya tremendous translational force on the seating pressure member 36 whereby the valve plate I 8 is slid from the partially closed position to the full closed position during substantial maintenance' of parallelism between plate I8 and seat I'I. Similarly, the operator of the valve may apply a tremendous horizontal force on the unseating pressure member 23 to slide 'the valve plate I8 from the seated or full closed position to the partially open position during substantial maintenance of parallelismbetween plate It and seat I'I. V

The bearing posts 22 are eccentrically constructed to allow periodic rotation of the tubes 25 with respect to therods 24 so as to present a new bearing surface to the shaft26. By this arrangement the life of the bearing tubes 25 is substantially prolonged and frictional bearing losses due to the translational and rotational movement of the valve plate assembly l9 on shaft 26 are substantially reduced.

,By mountin the shaft 26 in the bearings I2 and 28, which are positioned below the horizontal center line of the valve seat I'I, thevalve plate assembly I9,,when in the full openposition, is substantially evenly'distributed in the line of fluid, flow. Preferably the valve housing is larger thanthefiuid line -to insure a cross sectional area of sufiicient size to inhibit turbulence, thereby maintaining the pressure drop across the valve at a -minimum.1

.Whilewe have described a typical preferred form and application of our invention, we do not wish to be limitedprrestricted to the specific details herein set'forth but wish to cover all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim: I I

1. A hand operated valve for use in high vacuum lines comprising a valve bodyhaving a fiat, vertically-disposed, "annular; valve' seat therein; a shaft rotatably mounted in said valve body; coiledspring means affixed to and surroundin said shaft and having a pair of legs which extend transversely thereof; a valve plate assembly rigidly connected I to said: legs includ- 1ng a valve plate having an annular surface for engaging saidvalveseat, aseating pressure member'integrally formed on said valve plate,

spaced pairs of bearing posts extending from said valve plate transversely of and beyond said shaft on opposite sides thereof for guiding translational and rotational movement of said valve rotating said shaft, said spring means having suflicient stiffness to transmit the valve closing torque of said shaft through said leg means to said valve plate assembly for rotating-said assembly substantially 90 from full open position to a partially closed position, said spring means having suflicient resiliency to store resilent power upon initial opening rotation of said shaft for rotating said valve plate mechanism from a partially open position to a fully open position; and cam means rigidly mounted on said shaft for wiping engagement with said seating pressure member upon final closing rotation of said shaft and for wiping engagement with said unseating pressure member upon initial opening rotation of said shaft, said cam means being formed to translate said valve plate assembly between a fully closed position and a partially open position upon final closing and initial opening rotation respectively of said shaft.

2. A valve for use in high vacuum lines in ac- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 865,915 Koch Sept. 10, 1907 1,112,135 Harkom Sept. 29, 1914 1,669,119 Bliss s May 8, 1928 2,051,881 Mock Aug. 25, 1936 2,094,222 Smith Sept. 28, 1937 2,530,295 Fantz Nov. 14, 1950 

